


The King [DISCONTINUED]

by ayumihayashi



Series: all marvel [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2018-04-23 20:58:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4892020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayumihayashi/pseuds/ayumihayashi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a prince doesn't grant you a free ticket to inheriting the throne. Steve will have to learn a few lessons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Stop mocking me"

**Author's Note:**

> Before reading it, you need to know something, everything's happening in an imaginary kingdom, therefore, don't expect much logic history/clothing/hairstyle-wise, it's like a parallel universe. comments are appreciated!

The garden was almost as humongous as the palace itself – more than twenty kinds of trees, brought from overseas, some of them nurtured in this kingdom. Small ponds, surrounded by flowers and tiny colourful bushes; wooden bridges built across the middle of these ponds. Carved totems, filling in the empty spots, making everything look harmonious, even the small arbours had exquisite wooden carvings, wrapped in green bindweeds. The garden was almost magical, if not for the fact loud giggles interrupted the constant bird chirping. 

Steve was surrounded by young pretty women, laying down on the grass, using one of the women as his pillow, his head resting on her thighs. Being the only prince sure had props, not only he was the only prince – all women of this kingdom craved for his attention, which he gave them and got something in return. 

She stroked his blonde hair, earning envious glances from the others as her fingers brushed against this blonde short hair. He seemed not to care about it – he was used to women touching him all the time, fighting for his glance at their perfect bodies. “So, I heard you’re going to inherit the throne soon, my prince…” The brown haired girl purred, caressing Steve’s arm, squeezing his muscles gently.

“Of course, it’s my primal right.” He grinned, imaging the ceremony with a lot of influential and wealthy guests. Their kingdom was rich, one of the most powerful in this region. Steve was sure the inauguration party would be something unforgettable and definitely pompous. “There’s one year left till my 20th birthday, not that much.” 

“In that case, you should find a wife for yourself, my prince…” The other one spoke, smiling at the future king.

“Ah, wife… But I like it the way it is now.” He took her hand and kissed it. “So many beautiful ladies, it’s too hard to choose only one…” The girls chuckled, looking away with embarrassment. Steve had a way with his words.

Suddenly, a few royal guards appeared, making the girls move away. “My prince, you have to come with us.”

“I’m busy.” Steve seemed unfazed as he sat up. “Go away.”

“King’s orders, you have to come with us.”

“Tell him I’ll come later. I’m busy.” He seemed a bit annoyed as the guards got closer to him.

“I’m sorry, we must oblige to our King’s orders. Either you come with us in peace or we take you by force, my prince.”

“I won’t go, I’m your future king, you have to listen to me.” Steve noticed the girls retreating, their actions making him frown. Now he was really pissed.

“I’m sorry, we have to bring you to the king right now.” The leader waved his finger to the royal guards and they got to Steve, lifting him up, dragging him by the muscular arms, which had no power against the trained soldiers.

“Release me!” He resisted, but failed.

They dragged him through the whole garden, entering the palace through the back entrance. The hallways were decorated with even more wooden carvings, their holes covered with rice paper, coloured in many different ways. It took a few more minutes to take the prince to the king, because he refused to walk, acting like an immature child, making maids giggle in shadows.

As they got to the door, which led to the luxurious hall meant for receiving guests, Steve began walking on his own feet, scoffing and killing the guards with his intensive stare. It was the first time his father had actually ordered to bring him in no matter what.

The king was sitting in his throne, his long black hair tied on top of his head – absolute contrast to his son’s short blonde hair. The wrinkles on his face showed his age, but he was still handsome, still worthy to be admired not only for his personal merits and wisdom, but for his mature facial features, making him look calm and somewhat dreamy. The king turned around, looking at his wild son as the guards released him and he fell on his knees. “Father, what’s that supposed to mean?!” Steve jumped on his feet, coming closer to his dad.

“It’s time for a change.” He smiled, brushing fingers against his golden silky shirt, decorated with red needlework.

“What? From now on you’re going to bring me by using force?”

“Son, shut up.” His stern look made Steve close his mouth, grinding his teeth, making his cheekbones seem even fiercer. “You’re the only son me and your mother were able to have. Our dark gem.” He sighed. “We gave you everything, we fulfilled every dream you had, perhaps that is the reason why your character has been ruined.”

“Ruined? Father, you’re insulting me.”

“No, son, it’s you, who’s insulting me, your mother, whole royal family, your ancestry, even our people in this kingdom. Our great kingdom doesn’t deserve such a lewd, libertine, ungraceful, lazy king. My dear son, you need to change greatly in order to inherit this kingdom.” Steve was too offended to make out his thoughts into words, he just looked at the mighty king, his father, who waved to soldiers, standing by the door. “Let him in.”

Steve looked at the opened door and saw him coming in. His astounding red uniform, decorated with black details and golden buttons stood out instantly – it was obvious the male had a pretty high rank in royal army to be dressed up like this. The prince glanced at his face, noticing messy brown hair and two blue orbs showing no sign of any emotion. He was the epitome of a warrior statue.

Then, Steve remembered he saw him somewhere, his face looked familiar. Probably because he was working for the royal guard, or at least that's what Steve guessed. The male in red uniform got closer to the prince and bowed to the king with all his respect, ignoring the prince. The latter wanted to punch him. “Steve, do you know who this person is?”

“How would I know…” He hissed, taking another glance at the male.

“That’s right, how would you know when you care about nothing but getting laid with girls!” The king rose his tone, making Steve jump mentally. “He’s one of the most important people, who are responsible for the safety of the royal family. Do you happen to know who the other two are?”

Steve kept silent, looking away. “No.”

“No wonder. It’s General Stark and his son. May I notice Tony is younger than you and yet he can perform his duties without his father’s approval. And we have this honourable young man, Bucky Barnes. I take it you know nothing about him as well.”

“Stop mocking me.” Steve mumbled, gritting his teeth.

“I’m not mocking you, I’m stating facts, my son. You’re so irresponsible, you skip your lessons and training, you show no interest in this kingdom’s affairs. So, tell me, how am I supposed to let a person like this to inherit the throne, to give the power to rule this country and care for its people?”

Steve couldn’t say a word, feeling of humiliation strangling him. “I’m the prince.”

“Being a prince doesn’t give you any right to inherit the throne. You have to earn it and it seems like you skipped too many lessons to get to know this.” The king came closer to both of them. “Bucky Barnes is the best fighter and tactician in our Royal Army, he’s just a few months older than you, but the amount of his skills and knowledge is not to be underestimated, that’s why he’s here today. Now, listen very well, Steve.” The old man grabbed him by the collar of his blue shirt, dragging him closer. “You have only one choice, because you’re my son and I still have some hope left in you, otherwise you’d be working in a rice field like a simple peasant. I give you one year to reach Bucky’s level, you have to listen to whatever he says to you – you’re not a prince to him, you’re just a hassle to him. If you fail to reach his level within one year – you will be banned from this country and Bucky will be the one, who inherits the throne.”

“What?!” Steve yelled, breaking free from his father’s grip. “Are you joking? He’s much smaller than me, what could he possibly teach me?”

“Smaller than you?” The king laughed, waving his hand to Bucky. “Show it to him.”

Steve didn’t even have the chance to notice when Bucky had disappeared from his eyesight, but right now his huge body was pressed to the floor, Bucky’s knee rammed into his spine and his tight grip on Steve’s wrist, pressed to the back bringing the tears to the taller male’s eyes. The prince was like a piece of cheese, laying there powerless. “I might be smaller, but I have the knowledge and skills, unlike you, amateur.” He whispered into Steve’s ear, his velvet voice as calm as his face.

“My dear son, rule number one – don’t underestimate your enemy. You just did that and now look what it leaded to.”

Bucky stood up, releasing the giant body. Steve glared at his father, getting up off the wooden floor. “Are you serious? Are you going to let him act so rude against me? Are you going to ban me from my home?” He hissed.

“If I’ve been soft to you for the past 19 years of your frivolous existence, I’m going to be as twice as tough on you for the upcoming one year. If you don’t meet my expectations during that time – forget about your status as a prince.” The king crossed arms on his wide chest, turning around and walking away.

“Father, you can’t be serious! What about mother? Did she agree with this?” He yelled, trying to run after his father, but Bucky’s grip on his arm stopped him, making him glare at the so called fighter genius, who was about to steal his position.

“I have nothing else to say to you. I’ll hear reports from Bucky, you better do everything he says. Good luck.” He left them as Steve shook off Bucky’s hand. He couldn’t accept the fact he was so humiliated; his primal rights didn’t exist anymore. Steve was nothing at the moment, just an apprentice with one mission to exceed the king’s expectations.

“I bet you’re so happy to become such an important figure, huh?” The taller male looked at Bucky, eyes full of odium.

“I am happy? You must be really dumb, who would be happy to get an idiot, who has no self-respect and no respect for the entire country. You might be a prince, but you’re one lazy person, who’s wasting my time.” Steve attempted to punch his serene face, but failed as Bucky moved away swiftly, making Steve lose his balance and fall on the ground. “Look at that huge useless body you have there.” Bucky squatted in front of him, a mocking grin appearing on his face. “I will make it useful, no matter what it takes, Steve. Be prepared in the morning, this is the last day you can do whatever you want. Say good bye to your whores.” Bucky stood up and turned around, leaving the furious prince behind him.

Steve was used to everyone treating him like a prince, giving all kinds of compliments about his handsome looks, body, even about his wisdom. But right now, everything shattered, he was put to a rat’s level – a totally insignificant existence. He blamed his father for doing it, he blamed Bucky for being so confident in his own strengths, but he didn’t blame the most important person – himself.


	2. "Where's my horse ?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 ! :D First day is the worst, poor Steve. c:

Sleeping was Steve’s bliss, he could be starving for days, but sleeping was more important than food. His bed was enormous, with hundreds of silk blankets, satin sheets and whatnot. A poor person might think it’s another room with a lot of pillows and soft floor, but that was a bed, which belonged to a royal person. Steve always had this mindset that a person must sleep at least for 12 hours, wrapped in sheets, so that he’d stay handsome and healthy. He would always show himself as a good example.  
  
According to him, even dreams change depending on the bed you sleep in. It didn’t matter he couldn’t remember most of his dreams, because he’d always sleep to hard and wake up only when it’s been more than 12 hours of sleep. Also, there was a rumour among maids – it’s impossible to wake him up early. This is where his sleep life took a tragic turn.  
  
It was hard to accept the fact someone woke him up when the sun barely could be seen at this hour of morning. But it was even harder to accept the fact it was Bucky with an empty bucket in his hands and everything that was inside of it, was now on Steve’s head and body, not to mention the precious sheets. The prince was drenched in water, his back pressed to the wall, fists gripping on the soft material under his fingers. He wanted to take that bucket and smack Bucky’s head with it, but the memories of their first encounter reminded him it’s not wise to go against this man.  
  
“What the hell!...” He screamed, jumping out of his bed and landing in front of Bucky, who looked as calm as the bucket in his hands. “Couldn’t you wake me up in a more gentle way?!”  
  
“What? A kiss on your cheek?” Bucky’s mocking smirk annoyed the hell out of Steve. “I told you to be ready – you weren’t. I tried to wake you up the usual way – calling out your name. Of course, you didn’t hear it even though your ears are as big as the bottom of this bucket.” Steve gritted his teeth, trying to control himself from breaking everything in his room. “So, I used a good old method – it worked.” Bucky threw the bucket on Steve’s bed, ignoring the fuming prince.  
  
“Damn you...” He hissed, following Bucky with his eyes. The older male had his red uniform on. “Do you always wear that?”  
  
“No, I have my ninja costume for weekends.”  
  
“What...”  
  
“Idiot, I wear it only when I’m working.” Bucky shook his head sighing. “And you’re supposed to become a king...”  
  
“Hey, don’t underestimate me!” Steve hit his chest with his wet palm, indicating his power. “I’m not a sissy boy!”  
  
Bucky just stared at him. He stared more. And some more. “Right...” He took a bag off the floor and threw it at Steve’s face. “This is for you, dress up.”  
  
Steve mumbled a few curses under his nose, taking out a simple black outfit – loose pants and a sleeveless shirt with a V neck. “Is this peasant outfit supposed to be my training clothing?”  
  
“It’ll suit your current status very well, _my prince_.” Bucky smirked again, turning away from Steve as he dressed up, thinking about fifty ways how to strangle his annoying teacher.  
  
They went to the stables, looking for horses. The smell of morning dew was a new experience to Steve, it felt refreshing. He tried to ignore the chill of the morning, seeping through his bones. It was an early spring and this kingdom was somewhat bipolar. Days were hot, but nights were cold. He looked at Bucky, marching in front of him. The prince felt envious of his uniform, because it was definitely warmer than this casual peasant outfit.  
  
Bucky took a black stallion – his horse had a white little star on its forehead. A really fine horse, very energetic and powerful, but once Bucky called out for him – the horse run towards him. “There there, boy.” He rubbed the stallion’s soft nose, smiling at him gently.  
  
“So, you can smile at someone without evil intentions, huh?” Steve grinned, feeling superior, because he just saw a human side of his strict teacher.  
  
“Of course, my horse is valuable and smart.” Bucky sneered at him, jumping on the back of his black stallion swiftly.  
  
Steve ignored his remark, looking around. “Where’s my horse?”  
  
“What horse? You don’t have a horse.” Bucky spurred his black beauty and went past dumbfounded prince. “You’ll be running beside my horse till we reach the seaside.”  
  
“Are you crazy? It takes half an hour to go there on a horse at full speed!”  
  
“Then be sure to run fast.”  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Steve was exhausted by the time they reached the seaside, it was no joke to run this distance without stopping, but somehow he managed it with countless whines and irregular pace. He fell on the ground, his chest heaving quickly, a vapour escaping his mouth with each exhale. The pain in his legs was making them feel numb and he couldn’t get his breathe for another 10 minutes as Bucky was working on something. Steve didn’t care about it right now, he just wanted to get back to his wet bed. Damn, even laying on these sharp pebbles was cosy enough.  
  
“Okay, resting is over.” Bucky looked down at Steve, holding something in his hands.  
  
“I need more rest...” He whined.  
  
“Fine, then I’m going to tell the king you refused all of your rights to the throne.” As Bucky was turning around, Steve caught his ankle.  
  
“Okay, okay! I got it!” He stood up slowly, feeling the throbbing muscles. “Ah, shit...It hurts.”  
  
“It’s supposed to hurt, you’ve been neglecting physical training for too long. Take these and put them on your arms.”  
  
Steve took something as it looked like sleeves. And damn heavy sleeves. “Are those...Like...Sleeves with dumbbells?...”  
  
“Correct.”  
  
“Tell me, do you like sadistic games?”  
  
Bucky snorted, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “Stop talking nonsense. I told you I will do everything to make you exceed your father’s expectations. Put them on and stop whining.”  
  
Steve exhaled and did as he was told and put them on, while frowning and staring at his torturer. “What now?”  
  
“Go into the sea to the level of your neck and run. Stop when I do.”  
  
“That’s insane, the sea is too cold!”  
  
“I used to swim in winter, so stop whining. Be a man for once.” Bucky stared at his apprentice, who was throwing invisible daggers at him, but finally complied with his wishes and went deep into the water.  
  
“I-if I d-die...” Steve was slightly shivering, his head hovering above the water. “...I’ll h-haunt you f-for the rest of y-your life.”  
  
“Good luck.” Bucky just waved at him and jumped on his horse, observing Steve’s movements.  
  
Moving in the water was even harder, not to mention the fact he had weights on his arms, but it felt like this type of training was different. Steve had to use more of the strength in his arms than in his legs, he had to keep his balance not to drown like a rock. The soft sand felt comfortable and it seemed like the water wasn’t as cold as before, because working out like this was making Steve’s body feel hot. The sea water was somewhat soothing at the moment, except the fact the salty water got into his eyes and nose. He saw Bucky halting, waving at him to get out of the water. It took the last bits of his strength to do it, there was no way he could do any more running after three hours of intense training since he was waken up.   
  
Steve flopped on his stomach, half of his body still in the water. “I think you...can...bury my...body now...”. He felt Bucky coming closer, touching the heavy sleeves on his arms.  
  
“It’s too early for that.” The royal guardian removed the weight off Steve’s arms, earning a low growl from the latter. “Let’s go.”  
  
“Nghaa...” Steve got up slowly, swaying to sides like a drunken man.  
  
The prince followed Bucky and the black horse, at least they were walking slowly. They reached what it seemed like a tiny forest, but the road was going a bit further, even though Bucky has decided to stop here, tying his horse to the tree and turning around to a ghost, whose name was Steve. He was pale, but cheeks were flushed. Bucky smirked. “It seems like your blood pressure is having a party. This is good.”  
  
“Can I sit down? I don’t think I can take this anymore...”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
A quick agreement surprised Steve – something was fishy. How come a strict person would let him rest so easily? He thought maybe he misheard, but Bucky wasn’t even looking at him, he was just walking around looking for something. Steve placed his butt on the grass, a loud exhale escaping his mouth. He closed his eyes, sitting like a bag of potatoes. Something nudged his ankles as he was about to fall asleep. “What are you doing?” Steve saw Bucky placing two big stones by his ankles.  
  
“Stretching your ridiculously long lengs.” He pushed the stones and made Steve yelp as his body leaned forward.  
  
“Stop! Stop! Shit, that hurts, that’s enough!” The prince gripped on his groin, hissing loudly.  
  
Bucky stopped pushing the rocks, watching the younger male’s face contorted in pain. He came behind Steve and placed his palms on his back. “Lean forward. Touch the ground with your elbows.”  
  
“Are you c- Aaaah, fuck!” He felt Bucky sitting on his back like it was a simple chair. “Damn it, when I become the king, I’ll make you dig a grave for yourself.” Steve huffed, feeling the corners of his eyes getting wet. “Why don’t you teach me useful stuff, like fighting?!”  
  
“Listen, Steve, I can’t teach you anything while you’re so weak. You must get in shape as soon as possible. Do you think I’m having fun torturing you?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“That might be true in some cases.” He sneered. “Look, the main point is – you can’t fight without being fit and strong enough. Your body build is good for fighting, but your type of body needs different training, because I want you to fight according to your natural abilities. You’re a tall man, with a lot of flesh. You’re not my type of fighter. Whereas I’m quick and the fast-combat-full-of-different-techniques type of fighter, you’re all about physical strength and right usage of it. Remember this – I’m not here to torture you, I’m here to make use of your body for your own benefits.”  
  
“Does this mean I might be stronger than you?”  
  
“You are stronger than me, but you can’t use it against me. Not now.”  
  
Both of them fell silent, Steve seemed like he forgot about the pain in his inner thighs. He was thinking about Bucky’s words. If he really was stronger than Bucky, well, in aspect of sheer physical strength, that means he’d never be able to move as fast as his strict teacher, he’d never be able to master hundreds of different techniques. Then how it’s possible to exceed his father’s expectations? Only with pure physical strength? Steve didn’t want this, he wanted to be as powerful as Bucky. “I don’t want to rely only on my physical strength...” He mumbled.  
  
“Then don’t. Use your brain. I will teach you the most important things you need to know.”  
  
“Use my brain, huh...” Steve sighed.  
  
He felt Bucky standing up and saw him moving towards the stones, pushing them away. Steve exhaled, rubbing his thighs. Just then he felt how hungry he was, it almost made him dizzy. And if it wasn’t enough, he noticed Bucky taking a piece of bread out of his bag, eating it casually like the hungry prince didn’t even exist here. Steve watched him, the crumbles sticking to his lips, Bucky licking them off. The prince gulped. “Hungry?” Bucky’s voice distracted him.  
  
Steve gulped again. “Mhm...yes...”  
  
“I will let you choose today – food or ride back home on a horse.” Bucky swiped his tongue over his lips once again, smirking at the huge puppy that was Steve.  
  
“Horse!” He’d rather stay hungry for another half an hour, but at least he wouldn’t need to run on his feet again. At that moment he wanted to hug Bucky, but he just followed him, a grin appearing on his face.  
  
Bucky was leading him somewhere through the forest road, thick trees dropping their shadows on it. They reached a considerably small field, a wooden fence forming a circle. Steve was hoping to see a horse, already prepared for a ride, but what he saw was a wild horse running inside the ox-fence. Of course, the riding equipment was lying on the grass. “You’re so digging a grave for yourself when I inherit the throne...” He hissed.  
  
“Yeah yeah, now go and tame that horse.”  
  
Steve kicked the fence, before he jumped inside the paddock. He took the lasso, trying to get closer to the horse, but the animal just kept running away from him, shattering all of his hopes. Steve didn’t know how much time had passed already, but he was sweating oceans at the moment. The only good thing was he was throwing the lasso more accurate. He heard Bucky giving him a few tips and it was hard to admit, but it helped – after a long fight with the wild animal Steve finally caught it.  
  
But catching him didn’t mean the victory. Not yet. He saw Bucky jumping over the fence, coming closer to them. The wild horse was standing on two legs, trying to break free. “Pull the rope harder, show him who the master is!” He screamed.  
  
“Shit, that animal isn’t giving up!” Steve was relying on his physical strength right now, but it seemed like something was lacking as the horse kept resisting.  
  
“Use your brain!” Bucky screamed angrily. “Steve, use your damn brain!”  
  
He was so angry at Bucky, making him to go through all of this. Since he was woken up, everything went wrong – the ridiculous training and now this. Taming a wild horse wasn’t on his to-do list. Steve wanted to curse the day he stopped neglecting the lessons and training. Suddenly, he pulled the rope in such amount of strength that the poor animal somehow tripped and fell on the ground. Steve run to the horse and screamed right to its face. “Who’s the king, huh?! I’m the king. I’m your master, bitch!”  
  
The horse was afraid to stand up. Steve’s rage seemed to be working its magic as he huffed into the animal’s nose, letting him smell the sweat. “Congratulations, you got yourself a horse.” Bucky clapped. “It’s yours now.”  
  
Now that Steve seemed to be in control over _his_ horse, he noticed how beautiful it was. The stallion was white with a grey fringe framing huge black eyes. It was obedient now, standing up slowly as if waiting for Steve’s approval. The prince patted his neck, pulling the rope roughly to show the master is still there.  
  
And somehow, one thought came to his mind. Steve was just like the white beauty in front of him – wild, unrefined and inexperienced. He chuckled to himself for seeing the similarities between him and the horse. Maybe Bucky’s advice wasn’t that bad. Maybe using brain is a good thing after all.


End file.
